The filtering system is set off by a list of words that are banned, such as “sex.” Try to search on “sex” and the filter will block you from accessing any site with that word.
In order to make it harder for Iranians to get around the filter, the filter also blocks the word “antifilter.”
The Mehr news agency recently wrote Khamenehi saying that some Iranians need to visit blocked sites because of their jobs—journalists, for example—to get information not normally available on authorized websites. Mehr asked Khamenehi for a religious ruling.
In his response to Mehr, which was posted on the Supreme Leader’s website, he said, “In general, the use of antifiltering software is subject to the laws and regulations of the Islamic Republic, and it is not permissible to violate the law.”
Because Khamenehi used the word “antifilter,” his website was filtered, the Tabnak news website reported last week.
Tabnak commented, “The filtering of a fatva [religious decree] is so ugly for the executive branch that it can bring into question the whole philosophy of filtering.” It isn’t likely to do any such thing, but it will probably send the software designers back to work to make sure that the Supreme Leader’s words are not again subject to filtering.
It should be noted that the Supreme Leader’s fatva did not accept Mehr’s contention that some hardworking, pro-regime people in Iran should be allowed to bypass the filters.